The devastating natural events in Switzerland this summer have shown us the vulnerability of settlements in mountainous areas. And they have reignited an old debate: will all mountain valleys remain habitable and affordable?
14.08.2024, 11:01
It was a terrible sight: on several weekends this summer, storms devastated entire valleys. The areas most affected were Ticino, Valais and Misox in the canton of Graubünden.
Ten people lost their lives. Numerous houses were destroyed. The damage amounts to hundreds of millions of francs. The storms reignited an old debate: will every mountain valley remain habitable in the future? Or to put it another way: can we continue to afford life in the Alpine valleys?
Thomas Egger is the director of the Swiss Working Group for Mountain Regions (SAB) and is thus something like the top lobbyist for the concerns of the population in mountain regions. He has no idea what to do with the question: “This discussion upsets me,” says Egger. “It is disrespectful. We were still in the middle of the clean-up work and were looking for the missing people when it was started.”
For Egger, the idea of abandoning entire valleys due to the storms is out of the question. That is unthinkable, because valleys through which international traffic routes run were affected this early summer, such as the A13 motorway in Misox. But tourist strongholds such as Zermatt were also affected. “Hardly anyone would seriously consider abandoning these valleys,” says Egger.
Damage potential is higher in the Central Plateau
The question cannot simply be dismissed, however. The number and severity of storms is likely to increase in the future. This is due to climate change, says Josef Eberli, who heads the Hazard Prevention Department at the Federal Office for the Environment.
However, the resulting consequences do not only affect mountain areas. On the contrary: the potential for damage is significantly higher in the Central Plateau than in the mountains. Flooding of the Sihl, for example, could cause billions in damage in Zurich. In contrast, a settlement in the mountains can be protected relatively cheaply.
More relocations
The federal government, the cantons and the municipalities invest around 600 million francs every year in protective structures and the maintenance of protective forests. This protects settlements across the country from natural hazards.
The cheapest form of protection, however, is spatial planning. This has been somewhat neglected in the past, says Eberli. The result is that some buildings have been built in danger zones. Where this has happened, relocations may occur more frequently in the future. Eberli assumes, however, that these will remain isolated cases.
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Legend:
A house in Lostallo in Misox was devastated by flooding.
Keystone/TI-Press/Samuel Golay (20.07.2024)
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Legend:
After the floods, this house in Lostallo is no longer habitable.
Keystone/TI-Press/Samuel Golay (20.07.2024)
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Legend:
After the storms, clean-up work follows, as in the picture in the Maggia Valley.
Keystone/TI-Press/ALESSANDRO CRINARI (27.07.2024)
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Legend:
This building in Saas-Grund was also not spared from the violent natural events.
Keystone/JEAN-CHRISTOPHE BOTT (02.07.2024)
In a long-term perspective, the annual damage caused by storms in Switzerland has remained roughly the same. This is remarkable, as the number and severity of the events has increased. And the value of the objects at risk has also increased. This shows that the protective task has been well carried out in the past and that we will be able to continue to live in our mountain valleys in the future.
